Tonight’s Democratic debate – Deciding factor in will Joe run?

So for everyone who says they’re not going to watch the Democratic debate, trust me, they’re going to watch the Democratic debate. The five candidates on stage in tonight’s debate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Lincoln Chafee, former Sen. Jim Webb, and former Gov. Martin O’Malley, will duke it out for the rights to win the Democratic Party nomination and take the fight to the Republicans in 2016. But wait, where’s Joe?

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Republicans’ worst nightmare is waiting in the wings, and the debate performance tonight of the current Numero Uno nationally, as well as the backup chorus, may finally determine whether Joe Biden runs or not. Certainly the bundler class will be watching and lining up, and Joe has made no secret of visiting some of the top assembly men, such as Robert Wolf in September.

No one doubts the death of his son is adding to Biden’s contemplation. He’s been through several national campaigns, and you’ve got to be all in to win it. Should Biden run, 2016 may be year that Biden finally claims that elusive prize of the White House.

However, back to tonight’s debate, and what kind of questions are going to be asked, and to whom. Hillary’s #1 problem is her email server and the mishandling of what is being determined as classified material, no matter what she or her campaign says. How Hillary answers those questions, and the ensuing body language will determine how many voters actually buy her explanation. The FBI is busy connecting the dots, and the press is coming to the conclusion that the story is big enough to warrant continual coverage, with the AP reporting today that cyber security experts are referring to Clinton’s servers and their operations as “total amateur hour,” and were extremely vulnerable to external hackers.

Couple Hillary’s email problem with her flip-flopping on TPP and the Keystone XL pipeline, and her plummeting poll numbers don’t need further explanation. We’re already seeing the meme that she’ll say anything to get elected.

Bernie Sanders will be interesting to watch. We’ll finally see him live as so many audiences in Iowa and New Hampshire already have, so we can witness what excitement he does or does not ignite. Will he take on Madame Hillary, and will there be a striking dichotomy between them. Gov. Martin O’Malley, who had one of the worst taxing records in the nation when he was governor, will also be interesting to watch to see if he joins Bernie in the Hillary pile-on, or whether they’ll both focus on the Republicans. Jim Webb, former Secretary of the Navy and Senator, appears to have the broad skillset to run for the President, but his traction has been akin to Lindsay Graham or Bobby Jindal. He’ll need a Carly Fiorina-style performance to boost him in the polls. Finally, Lincoln Chafee, who wants a Cabinet post or “former Presidential candidate” on his Wikipedia page brings up the rear. Not a snowball’s chance.

Which leads us back to Joe.

Joe Biden is a likable guy. Something Hillary is not. And Bernie not so much. Biden’s a Democrat in the Tip O’Neill vein, and reminds many people of the Democratic Party of their fathers and grandfathers, before it was taken over by the Left-wing nut jobs, and turned into one giant social experiment. Biden has to be certain that he can win over or maintain the voting bloc that has gone to the Republicans in 2014 and 2010, but he will also have to defend the Obama policies that many Americans have come to distrust.